Dewey, J., & Dewey, J. (2009). The school and society ; & The child and the curriculum. Lexington, Ky.: Readaclassic.com.
The Child and the Curriculum is an essay written by John Dewey in 1902 in response to concerns he had with current practices in education. Dewey opens this essay with the claim that there are two main educational sects: one that focuses on the curriculum and one that focus on the child. Those that focus on curriculum, according to Dewey, believe that the subject-matter reveals a wide universe to the narrow life of the child. The subject-matter brings truth and law and order to the egotistic, self -centered, and impulsive child. " It ignores the child's individual peculiarities, whims and experiences." (Dewey, 2009, p. 8) This sect believes that as educators, our role is to replace the casual and superficial ideas of the child with the "well-ordered realities of the curriculum". (Dewey, 2009, p. 8) Under this focus, the child is simply an immature being that needs to be matured and he succeeds at this by being "ductile and docile". (Dewey, 2009, p. 8 ) In contrast, the other sect that Dewey describes sees the child as the starting point, the center and the end goal of education, "his (the child) growth and development is the deal". (Dewey, 2009, p. 9) All subjects are subservient to the growth of the child and their value is measured in how well they serve the needs of growth. Dewey states that "subject matter can never be got into the child from without. Learning is active. It involves reaching out of the mind. It is the child and not the subject matter that defines the quantity and quality of learning." (Dewey, 2009, p. 9) Dewey then explains that that education is more than the child or the curriculum, we cannot chose one focus over the other. It is not the child versus the the curriculum it is the child and the curriculum. To be an educator one must take the subject-matter and intertwine it with the interests and abilities of the student; " the child and the curriculum, become two limits that define a single process of continual learning." (pg 11)
In this essay, Dewey also discusses his views on how a child learns and what that too means to an educator. Dewey speaks of "Three Evils of External Presentation": lack of organic connection, lack of motivation and loss of thought provoking character. (p. 25) "Somehow somewhere motive must be appealed to, connection must be established between the mind and it's materials. If the subject-matter of the lesson be such as to have an appropriate place within the expanding consciousness of the child, if it grows out of his own past doings, thinkings, and sufferings and grows into application in further achievements and receptivities, than no devise or trick of methods has to be resorted to in order to enlist "interest"."(pg 27) In other words, our students are not empty vessels to be filled with facts and figures that they can memorize and regurgitate. Children need to see the connection to their own lives and they need to be motivated and challenged to make new connections and new meanings. To be successful, to become a successful member of the democratic society says Dewey, the child must learn to reason, question, and generalize and form opinions.
What Dewey does not directly mention in this essay is his belief that children are social learners. He does however stress that learning is active, not passive. "The logically formulated material of a study is no substitute for the having of individual experiences." These are but guides to future experiences, a source of direction, a pointing out of paths which lead most quickly to a desired result." (pg 20) In subsequent works, Dewey proposed the use of problem based learning. In Problem-Based Learning, a specific problem is introduced by the teacher. Students work individually or in teams over a period of time to develop solutions to this problem. PBL is active learning that leads each child to make connections to and discoveries about the topic at hand. It guides the student through questioning and reasoning and analyzing. What Dewey outlined for the reader in 1902 is what we are being taught today as we strive to become culturally competent teachers: a focused approach to a common curriculum combined with child driven approach to making meaning of that curriculum for each and every student. It is the road less taken through our years of reform, it is as our class has described, "the focused mish-mash".
Dewey, J., & Dewey, J. (2009). The school and society ; & The child and the curriculum. Lexington, Ky.: Readaclassic.com.
The Child and the Curriculum is an essay written by John Dewey in 1902 in response to concerns he had with current practices in education. Dewey opens this essay with the claim that there are two main educational sects: one that focuses on the curriculum and one that focus on the child. Those that focus on curriculum, according to Dewey, believe that the subject-matter reveals a wide universe to the narrow life of the child. The subject-matter brings truth and law and order to the egotistic, self -centered, and impulsive child. " It ignores the child's individual peculiarities, whims and experiences." (Dewey, 2009, p. 8) This sect believes that as educators, our role is to replace the casual and superficial ideas of the child with the "well-ordered realities of the curriculum". (Dewey, 2009, p. 8) Under this focus, the child is simply an immature being that needs to be matured and he succeeds at this by being "ductile and docile". (Dewey, 2009, p. 8 ) In contrast, the other sect that Dewey describes sees the child as the starting point, the center and the end goal of education, "his (the child) growth and development is the deal". (Dewey, 2009, p. 9) All subjects are subservient to the growth of the child and their value is measured in how well they serve the needs of growth. Dewey states that "subject matter can never be got into the child from without. Learning is active. It involves reaching out of the mind. It is the child and not the subject matter that defines the quantity and quality of learning." (Dewey, 2009, p. 9) Dewey then explains that that education is more than the child or the curriculum, we cannot chose one focus over the other. It is not the child versus the the curriculum it is the child and the curriculum. To be an educator one must take the subject-matter and intertwine it with the interests and abilities of the student; " the child and the curriculum, become two limits that define a single process of continual learning." (pg 11)
In this essay, Dewey also discusses his views on how a child learns and what that too means to an educator. Dewey speaks of "Three Evils of External Presentation": lack of organic connection, lack of motivation and loss of thought provoking character. (p. 25) "Somehow somewhere motive must be appealed to, connection must be established between the mind and it's materials. If the subject-matter of the lesson be such as to have an appropriate place within the expanding consciousness of the child, if it grows out of his own past doings, thinkings, and sufferings and grows into application in further achievements and receptivities, than no devise or trick of methods has to be resorted to in order to enlist "interest"."(pg 27) In other words, our students are not empty vessels to be filled with facts and figures that they can memorize and regurgitate. Children need to see the connection to their own lives and they need to be motivated and challenged to make new connections and new meanings. To be successful, to become a successful member of the democratic society says Dewey, the child must learn to reason, question, and generalize and form opinions.
What Dewey does not directly mention in this essay is his belief that children are social learners. He does however stress that learning is active, not passive. "The logically formulated material of a study is no substitute for the having of individual experiences." These are but guides to future experiences, a source of direction, a pointing out of paths which lead most quickly to a desired result." (pg 20) In subsequent works, Dewey proposed the use of problem based learning. In Problem-Based Learning, a specific problem is introduced by the teacher. Students work individually or in teams over a period of time to develop solutions to this problem. PBL is active learning that leads each child to make connections to and discoveries about the topic at hand. It guides the student through questioning and reasoning and analyzing. What Dewey outlined for the reader in 1902 is what we are being taught today as we strive to become culturally competent teachers: a focused approach to a common curriculum combined with child driven approach to making meaning of that curriculum for each and every student. It is the road less taken through our years of reform, it is as our class has described, "the focused mish-mash".
Other Resources:
Why Problem-Based Learning Is Better. (n.d.). Powerful Learning Practice. Retrieved July 16, 2013, from http://plpnetwork.com/2013/01/10/problem-vs-project-based-learning/
Snow, M. (2011, March 5). John Dewey - The Child and The Curriculum. IAE-Pedia. Retrieved from http://iae-pedia.org/John_Dewey_-_The_Child_and_The_Curriculum
Samuel, F., & Suh, B. (2012). Teacher Candidates Reconcile The Child and the Curriculum With No Child Left Behind. Educational Forum, 76(3), 372-382.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=w5Ry8yHw54w